David L. Harrison: A Work of Art
By Allen Raymond

We've been derelict in our duty by waiting so long before we introduced you to David L. Harrison. A poet, a writer of nonfiction (and he's even dabbled in fiction from time to time), he's a man with marvelous talent – and an unbelievable, personal commitment to excellence in whatever he does. And he does a lot.

David is a very nice man, the type of person you want to bring home. His finely-crafted poetry can be humorous, challenging, moving and poignant. Reading his poems to your children and grandchildren will endear them to you for life.

If it is possible for a human being to be considered a "work of art," that's David.

He's a poet...with marvelous talent...and a commitment to excellence in whatever he does.

A few of the 67 books from David Harrison, and some of our favorites.

As a former School Board Chairman in Springfield, MO – and as a logical continuation of that civic commitment – David launched a unique and highly successful (over 1,000 attend) annual "Teacher Appreciation Banquet" about five years ago.

And – probably because he couldn't help himself, and you'll discover why in a moment – he then launched something else. It's called "Sky High For Reading," a program that encourages kids in Springfield to read enough books so that, if stacked on top of each other, the pile of books would stretch a mile high.

In its first year the children read over one million books – enough to make a stack over five miles high.

In 2001,"Sky High For Reading," in recognition of its unique concept and effectiveness, was awarded first place for Community Service by the International Reading Association, and the idea is beginning to spread to other communities. For example, as this is being written, it's our understanding San Diego is giving it a try, and David will go there to counsel them.

And then, there is the leadership role David continued to play while on the School Board, which led to the creation of libraries in all of the 23 elementary schools in Springfield. Not easy, but he led the charge.

What's unusual in all of this, of course, is that it's generated by one man who, it should be pointed out, is in his spare time the owner/president of a cement block company, a family business.

We say "spare time," because in 2003, David met with his key long-time employees and announced that, at age 66, "I am a writer, and I'm going to continue to be a writer, so from now on I'm going to work only in the morning – so make good use of my time."

The regimen is working because, as David told us, "They're all wonderful people, and they know perfectly well what to do and how to do it." So, with his cut-back at the office, here is David's daily schedule: Write from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m. – work in the office from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. – head for home and write until 6:00 p.m.

About his writing, he says, "I'm self-taught. I've been writing for years… nights, weekends, mornings, trips, planes, hotel rooms, whatever."

Teaching K-8 caught up with David at the convention of the National Council of Teachers of English, where he was much in demand autographing his many books.

His books have been published by the blue-chips of the publishing world, including Boyds Mills Press, Scholastic, Random House, Albert Whitman, Rand McNally, Golden Books, Western Publishing and McGraw-Hill.

David's multifaceted life, perhaps reflecting the eclectic bent of a true philosopher, dates back to his earliest years – in the days when his bedroom, for instance, was filled with collections of bird wings and skulls and turtle shells and snake hides and coins and fossils and arrowheads and butterflies…which resulted in many, many visits from middle school teachers who brought their classes to David's home to see the exhibits.

Those were also the days when David, having been given a trombone and music lessons when he was 10 years old, became good enough so that, at age 17, he was giving 30-minute trombone lessons every Saturday, beginning at 7:30 a.m. and concluding at 6:00 p.m.

Concurrently, he was filling the principal chair in the trombone section of a Springfield symphony and playing professionally in a dance band.

David's early intentions were to become a scientist – and he worked in that field for several years. But, along the way, he remembered a professor who praised his creative writing talents, suggesting that David become a writer.

And so, after a stint working for a scientific company, he concluded it was "confining my thinking," and he sent letters to a host of companies seeking other employment.

One of those companies was Hallmark, and he joined the company as an editor of cards for children. Moving up the ladder, he eventually became Editorial Manager, which meant, as he told us, "I was the guy who said yes or no to all the sentiments that Hallmark published."

During all of these years he had been writing and sending the manuscripts to publishers. "I received 87 rejections in a row," he told us, "before anything was published."

What kept him going, he said, was his conviction that he was right – he had to write.

"It wasn't a decision," he commented. "It was a commitment. And I can't change a commitment very easily. To quit writing was unthinkable," he added with considerable feeling.

"It would have been too much of a personal defeat. I don't know what would have happened to me."

He tells children, "Everyone becomes somebody, doing something. We all do it of our own free will; we do it because we decide to do it, but more than that, we become committed to a cause."

In David's case, that commitment to a cause finally resulted in the publication of his first book, The Boy With a Drum (Golden Books, 1969), which sold over two million copies.

And that was the turning point. "I finally figured out who I was," David said, "and while I enjoyed writing for adults, I like to write for kids so much more."

And now, a song of love to his wife, Sandy, taken from his autobiography, Connecting Dots (Boyds Mills, 2004).

May 2005, Vol.35, No.8